Nitecore Tube and V54 TubeVN (5mm, rechargeable) review: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, VIDEO+

selfbuilt

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Reviewer's Note: This is a review of both the stock Nitecore Tube, and the custom modified version from Vinh Nguyen (V54). For more information on Vinh's lights, please check out his subforum of the CPF Custom Flashlight Builders and Modders forum, including his TubeVN discussion thread.

Tube007.jpg


I've long thought that some sort of rechargeable keychain light would be a good idea, as most of the cheap ones with 2016/2032 lithium coin cells die a slow (or rapid) death from battery drain. As cheap keylights are commonly given out by many vendors when purchasing lights or batteries, I've literally collected buckets of these over the years. :rolleyes:

Since I am curious about the (somewhat oddly named) Tube, I have purchased the full series of colors from an authorized Nitecore distributor. Vinh has kindly sent me his personal sample of the TubeVN to compare. As such, this review can serve as double-duty – a review of the stock Tube, as well as the V54 TubeVN. And since I actually have multiple samples of the stock light, we can also draw some preliminary conclusions about typical variation. :whistle:

One point about the Vinh mod – note below that the TubeVN is on the left, stock Tube is on the right below (both clear versions):

Tube013.jpg

Tube012.jpg


There is no engraving on my sample of the TubeVN, so there are no obvious external signs to differentiate it to the stock Tube. I've attached the included keychain split rings on the stock sample, to help me tell them apart (although the difference becomes more obvious once your turn it on). But more on that in a moment … :whistle:

Stock Nitecore Tube Reported Specifications:
(note: as always, these are simply what the manufacturer provides – scroll down to see my actual testing results).

  • LED: (not specified)
  • Output / Runtime: Max: 45 Lumens / 1 Hour - Min: 1 Lumen / 48 Hours
  • 1 to 45 lumens infinitely variable brightness
  • Peak Beam Intensity: 150cd
  • Beam distance: 24m
  • USB Rechargeable
  • Integrated high efficient Li-ion rechargeable battery
  • Intelligent protective circuit with over-discharge/over-charge/short-circuit protection and integrated blue power indicator (goes out automatically when charging is complete)
  • Beam angle up to 100 degrees
  • Constructed from extremely lightweight PC materials, Slim Compact Design
  • Finger friendly user interface, with Side Switch Operation
  • Available In 5 Stylish Colors
  • Stainless steel key ring connector withstands 35kg weight
  • 1.5 Meter Impact Resistant
  • IP65 Waterproof
  • Dimensions: Length: 2.22" (56.5mm) - Width: 0.83" (21mm) - Height: 0.31" (8mm)
  • Weight: 0.34 oz (9.6g)
  • NOTE: Micro-USB charging cable not included
  • MSRP: ~$10
V54 TubeVN Reported Specifications: (where different from above)

  • Current boosted
  • $26.50 shipped USA
  • +$5 for international shipping (up to 3)
  • +$5 "V54" Engraving
Note: As always, these specs are simply what Nitecore and Vinh provide – scroll down to see my actual testing results. :wave:

Tube008.jpg


Stock retail packaging is a simple card with specs/instructions printed on the front and back (random observation: they have actually prepared different cards for each color model). :eek:oo: Included in the blister pack is the light with a small and large split-ring. Note that no micro-USB cable is included, so you have to get one of your own (common with many cell phones now).

There is no printed manual included, but you can download one from Nitecore's website. The specs on the packaging do explain most of what you need to know.

Tube010.jpg

Tube011.jpg

Tube028.jpg

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Tube047.jpg

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All dimensions directly measured, and given with no batteries installed (except for keychain lights, where they are integrated):

Nitecore Tube: Weight: 9.1g (without keychain rings), 11.4g (with both keychain rings), Length: 55.9mm, Width: 20.7mm (widest width) 9.2mm (widest depth)
Nitecore TubeVN: Weight: 9.1g (without keychain rings), Length: 55.9mm, Width: 20.7mm (widest width) 9.2mm (widest depth)
Titanium Innovations Keylight: Weight: 8.7g (with keychain rings), Length: 55.9mm, Width: 27.0mm (widest width) 9.3mm (widest depth)

Foursevens Preon P0: Weight 13.0g (with keychain clip), Length 55.0mm, Width 12.6mm (bezel)
Foursevens Preon P1: Weight 15.3g (with keychain clip), Length 75.6mm, Width 14.0mm (bezel)
L3 Illumination L08: Weight: 22.4g, Length: 77.8mm, Width (bezel): 17.0mm
Lumintop Tool AAA: Weight: 15.3g, Length 82.6mm, Width 14.4mm (bezel)
Olight i3 (2013/14): Weight 12.3g, Length: 69.3mm, Width (bezel): 14.0mm
Thrunite Ti3: Weight: 11.5g, Length: 69.9mm, Width (bezel): 13.6mm
Titanium Innovations Illuminati Aluminum: Weight 13.9g (with keychain clip), Length 68.8mm, Width 14.0mm (bezel)

Tube014.jpg

Tube017.jpg

Tube016.jpg

Tube019.jpg

Tube020.jpg

Tube023.jpg


There is no only obvious difference to the appearance of my TubeVN, so I've used a variety of the colors for the pics throughout this review.

The Tube lights have thin rectangular bodies, made of polycarbonate (held together by four small screws). There is some texturing/ridge detail on the body, which helps with grip. There are also the rubberized switch cover and micro-USB port cover (which thoughtfully stays attached to internal column at all times, so you won't lose it). There is a double metal keychain attachment point at the base of the light, and two sizes of stainless steel split rings are included.

The Tube lights come in 5 body colors – clear, black, pink, green and blue. These have varying opacities, which affect how the lights look when on. To illustrate this, below are the clear, black, pink and blue Tubes, followed by the clear TubeVN – first on Min, then on Max.

Tube-carpet003.jpg


Tube-carpet005.jpg


Note that the black one is very darkly colored, so relatively little light penetrates the body. Clear obviously lets the most light through, followed by pink and then blue above. The pink body tends to produce a fair amount of red/pink-tinged colored light in the vicinity of the body.

I find the green to be something of a lime color (not particular attractive in my view, but your tastes may vary). My stock green sample was defective and wouldn't activate when clicked/pressed. Instead, the white LED would flicker on/off when held in certain positions or moved around – making think there was some sort of short on the circuit board. So, I took the green unit apart:

Tube048.jpg

Tube050.jpg

Tube053.jpg


I noticed one poor solder joint above (bottom right of the switch), but fixing it didn't help – this one sample (out of five purchased) remained DOA.

As an aside, this may be an argument for getting the TubeVN – at least you know Vinh would catch and fix anything like that. :whistle:

One of the key features of the Tube is the built-in Li-ion battery, with standard micro-USB charging. Please note however, that you must supply your own cable. These are easily available online for a couple of bucks, but it means an extra purchase if you don't already have one from a cell phone, camera, etc.

There is a blue LED on the circuit board that illuminates when a USB cable is attached and charging is going on. Shown below for the clear and black versions.

Tube024.jpg

Tube025.jpg


Simply peel back the rubber plug covering the micro-USB port to plug in the cable (the plug remains attached). Once the light is fully charged, the blue LED shuts off. Scroll down for more discussion of the charging process.

The main white LED of is of unknown source, and is a (relatively) very high output 5mm type of cool white emitter. Truthfully, even in stock Tube form, I haven't seen one this bright before – it puts all other keychain squeeze lights I've handled to shame. :eek:oo:

Tube027.jpg

Tube026.jpg


Scroll down for beamshots and direct output/throw measures. :wave:

User Interface

To turn the light on in its lowest mode, simply click (press-release) the switch from off. To turn the light on in its highest mode, double-click the switch from off. Once on, a single click turns the light off.

From on, you can ramp the output from min-to-max in a continuously-variable fashion by pressing and holding the switch. In my testing, it takes 3.2 secs to ramp from min to max brightness. Unfortunately, there is no pause once max is reach – the ramp immediately starts over at min, in a continuous fashion. This means it is hard to choose the absolute max (unless you use the shortcut above from off). :shrug:

There is a momentary max mode available from off – simply press-and-hold from off. The light turns off once you release the switch.

To charge the light, you will need to supply your own micro-USB cable. Simply plug the cable into the port on the light (under the rubber cover). A blue LED inside the light will illuminate, to indicate charging is occurring (turns off once charging is complete). In my testing, it took ~1hr 10mins to fully charge the light from very dim.

Video:

For more information on the overall build and user interface, please see my new video overview:



As with all my videos, I recommend you have annotations turned on. I commonly update the commentary with additional information or clarifications before publicly releasing the video.

As an aside, if you want to get an instant notification for every new review that I post here on CPF, you can subscribe to my YouTube channel (the vids go public at the same time). Just mouse over my logo watermark on the top right-hand corner of the video for the subscribe feature to open up. You may need to tap or click, depending on the platform you are using to watch. :wave:

PWM/Strobe

The tube uses pulse width modulation (PWM) for its sub-max levels, but at two distinct frequencies

Tube Min PWM:
Tube-PWM-Min.gif


Tube Lowest ramp PWM:
Tube-PWM-Lo-zoomedout.gif


For some reason, the Tube uses 500Hz PWM at the min activation level, and 3kHz PWM for all levels of the ramp (except max, which is full power).

What this means in practice is that those who are sensitive to PWM will be able to see if on the min level – but only the min level. The 3kHz PWM all other sub-max levels is undetectable in use.

Let's take a closer look at the ramp levels, to confirm this is actually PWM here:

Tube Lo PWM:
Tube-PWM-Lo.gif


Tube Med PWM:
Tube-PWM-Med.gif


Tube Hi PWM:
Tube-PWM-Hi.gif


Tube Max:
Tube-PWM-Max.gif


And indeed it is. Negative deflections above indicate when the light is on – as you can see, as you increase the output level of the ramp, the light spends more time "on" during each pulse. Once you reach the max level, the light is on all the time (as you would expect). PWM frequency remains constant at 3kHz at all ramp levels (below max)

I consider this 3kHz PWM to be perfectly acceptable in use. You will not be able to detect it visually.

In case you are wondering about the TubeVN, the mod has no effect on the PWM feature:

TubeVN Min:
TubeVN-Min.gif


TubeVN Lowest Ramp:
TubeVN-Lo.gif


Charging Current

For these measures, I am using the Xtar VI01 "USB Detector" - basically a specialized USB current/voltage meter. This model has recently been favorably reviewed by HKJ here. I left the USB detector in place for all readings. Note that the voltage reading on this device refers to the input voltage (i.e., from the charging brick).

For the charging test, I started with Tube that been depleted down to a very low sub-lumen level, <0.1 lumens in my lightbox.

Initial charging current and input voltage of the nearly-depleted Tube:

Tube002.jpg

Tube001.jpg


As you can see, charging started at 0.11A and 4.85V input voltage. This is well below the maximum charge capacity of USB.

Charging current dropped steadily during the charging cycle. Here is one hour into the charge:

Tube003.jpg

Tube004.jpg


As you can see, charging is down to 0.02A at this point, and input voltage has risen slightly to 4.93V (which is pretty close to what I measure when no charging is taking place).

Charging in fact terminated within ~5-10 mins after this point.

Tube005.jpg

Tube006.jpg


As you can see, the blue charging LED has turned off, and the detector is reading 0A.

This charging time is faster than the rated 2 hours stated by Nitecore, but I suppose it could take longer if you discharged the Tube even further (i.e., far below <0.1 lumens).

Standby Drain

A standby current drain is inevitable on this light, due to the electronic switch. I have not disassembled a functioning Tube to try and measure it though. It is probably no worse than a cheap squeeze-type keylight, and they usually last up to a couple of years before being completely drained.

In any case, regular top-ups with a charging cable won't hurt it, and are in fact a good idea.

Beamshots:

Lights are about ~0.75 meter from a white wall (with the camera ~1.25 meters back from the wall). Automatic white balance used on the stock lights (to minimize tint differences.

Let's start with the keychain lights, with all Tubes on max. Note that there are some scratches on my white wall below, just off-center to the right.

TubeVN-Beam001.jpg
Tube-Clear-Beam001.jpg

Tube-Black-Beam001.jpg
TI-keylight-Beam001.jpg


TubeVN-Beam002.jpg
Tube-Clear-Beam002.jpg

Tube-Black-Beam002.jpg
TI-keylight-Beam002.jpg


TubeVN-Beam003.jpg
Tube-Clear-Beam003.jpg

Tube-Black-Beam003.jpg
TI-keylight-Beam003.jpg


Ok, the stock Tube is a lot brighter than your typical 5mm squeeze-type keychain light. For the comparison above, I am using a recent keylight supplied by Battery Junction (sold under the Titanium Innovations brand name). The Tubes have much better relative tint, with a lot less blue (although in absolute terms, I still find the Tube to be very cool white).

The TubeVN has a much higher max output, with no appreciable shift in tint (i.e., no dedoming here folks). ;)

Let's see how it does against a couple of 1xAAA lights.

TubeVN-Beam001.jpg
Tube-Black-Beam001.jpg

P0-Beam001.jpg
i3-2014-Beam001.jpg


TubeVN-Beam002.jpg
Tube-Black-Beam002.jpg

P0-Beam002.jpg
i3-2014-Beam002.jpg


TubeVN-Beam003.jpg
Tube-Black-Beam003.jpg

P0-Beam003.jpg
i3-2014-Beam003.jpg


This isn't really a fair comparison, since the Preon P0 is a lower lumen light with a wider spotbeam-type beam pattern. But I think you'll find the Tube's max output is quite reasonable – similar to Hi on some of the older 1xAAA lights, or Med-Hi on some of the latest higher-output ones.

As you can imagine, no outdoor beamshots here … :laughing:

Scroll down for direct measures.

Testing Method:

All my output numbers are relative for my home-made light box setup, as described on my flashlightreviews.ca website. You can directly compare all my relative output values from different reviews - i.e. an output value of "10" in one graph is the same as "10" in another. All runtimes are done under a cooling fan, except for any extended run Lo/Min modes (i.e. >12 hours) which are done without cooling.

I have devised a method for converting my lightbox relative output values (ROV) to estimated Lumens. See my How to convert Selfbuilt's Lightbox values to Lumens thread for more info.

Throw/Output Summary Chart:

My summary tables are reported in a manner consistent with the ANSI FL-1 standard for flashlight testing. Please see http://www.flashlightreviews.ca/FL1.htm for a discussion, and a description of all the terms used in these tables. Effective July 2012, I have updated all my Peak Intensity/Beam Distance measures with a NIST-certified Extech EA31 lightmeter (orange highlights).

Let's mix things up a little, and start with a comparison of max and min lumen output for the Tube/TubeVN.

Since I had 4 functioning Tube samples, I thought I would present these with some basic descriptive statistics: mean (average) and standard deviation (SD). These are reported below as the mean +/- the SD.

In statistics, the standard deviation is a convenient way to directly compare the variation between groups in a consistent manner. For a normally-distributed population (i.e., the class bell-shaped curve for IQ tests, and many naturally occurring phenomenon), you can think of the mean as the center of the curve, and a single standard deviation unit as being the point on either side of the mean where 68% of the samples would fall within.

I'm throwing runtime into the table below as well, to the ANSI FL-1 standard of time to 10% ANSI max output.

Tube-Lumens.gif


First thing to note above is that my output measures suggest the Nitecore specs are fairly accurate – I get 0.6 lumens on average for min output (1 lumen spec) and 46 lumens on average for max output (45 lumen spec). The same goes for runtime – I get 62 mins on average for time to 10% (60 min spec). For all three measures, the SD is a fairly consistent ~10% (i.e., two thirds of the samples fall within ~20% of the mean).

I only had one sample of the TubeVN, but you can see it is significantly brighter at both its min and max levels, by ~180% and ~60% respectively. Of course, that is just a comparison to the average output – individual pairings could vary (i.e., the TubeVN on max was ~70% brighter than the Pink Tube, but only ~40% brighter than the Clear Tube).

Runtime on max on the TubeVN is of course reduced compared to the stock Tube. To see how efficiency compares overall, please see my runtime section below.

To put these results into context, here is a summary chart comparing to the classic 1xAAA lights, and the Titanium Innovations keylight:

Tube-FL1-Summary.gif


The TubeVN certainly reached the level of max output commonly seen on 1xAA keychain lights (although is a lot less focused for throw, of course). Note that the min level is also increased on the TubeVN - it seems the current mod affects all levels on this light.

This is one area where I find the Nitecore specs to be a bit inflated – only one of my stock tube samples topped 80cd for beam intensity (spec is 150cd). :shrug:

Output/Runtime Graphs:

Let's start with a comparison of just max outputs, for all my stock Tubes and TubeVN. As always, my stated runtimes in the legend are time to 50% (see table above for ANSI FL-1 time to 10% measures).

Tube-Max.gif


On max, the Tube family looks to be very much like direct-drive for standard Li-ions. This is a highly efficient way to regulate output, given the current/resistance characteristics of Li-ions.

As demonstrated by the relative low standard deviations above, there is not a huge amount of variability between stock samples.

Not surprisingly, the TubeVN is higher output and lower runtime on max than the stock Tubes. Regulation pattern is a little different as well, as it appears to try to remain flat-stabilized for a bit before finally dropping off.

What happens at sub-max levels, where PWM comes into play?

Tube-Med.gif


For the analysis above, I am just using two stock lights and the Tube VN, and showing all at the max output (dotted lines) and at a fairly equivalent near-max output level of in the ~35 lumen range (solid line).

The Tube lights all still show a relatively direct-drive like pattern at this near-max level. There is also no obvious efficiency difference for runtime, as the TubeVN is intermediate to one of my "best" and "worse" performing stock Tubes. But given how hard it is to select exactly the same output level on the very fast ramp, these results should only be used as an approximate guide.

How does this compare to the Titanium Innovations keylight, or standard 1xAAA?

Tube-AAAComparison.gif


Ok, the standard 5mm keylight is definitely not in the same class as these Tubes. But as pointed out earlier, the TubeVN definitely reaches a max output level that is consistent with a number of 1xAAA keychain lights.

The relative efficiency of the Tube emitter (and/or capacity of its rechargeable cell) doesn't match XP-G2/AAA-class lights though, as indicated by the reduced runtime/output of the Tubes. Still, this is a phenomenal result for a 5mm-class emitter. :thumbsup:

Potential Issues

One of the five stock Tubes I ordered arrived defective, with some sort of circuit short. This is one thing you wouldn't have to worry about with the TubeVN, since Vinh tests of each of his lights before shipping.

While the output is "whitest" I've seen for a 5mm emitter, there is still some tint variation in the beam (with a bit of bluish-white tinted light in the center). Also, 5mm emitters will never be as "throwy" as reflectored lights.

The Tube uses pulse width modulation (PWM) for its low levels, but only the absolute min level is visually noticeable at 500Hz. All the other sub-max levels are at a visually undetectable 3kHz.

The Tube doesn't come with the required micro-USB cable, meaning you will have to supply your own.

Light ramps quickly (3.2 secs), with no pause at the max output (i.e., restarts immediately at min output and ramps again).

Preliminary Observations

The Tube is a great leap forward from the typical 5mm squeeze-type keychain lights (keylights). :twothumbs

Not only is the Tube capable of much higher output (with much whiter tint), but it also has a continuously-variable control interface and built-in micro-USB recharging. Vinh's modifications make it even more impressive. :)

It's common for many flashlight dealers to hand out simple keylights with purchases. If you are like me, you probably have a stash of these slowly draining, dim, blue-tinted keylights lying around. Yes, you can technically change the 2016/2032 coin cell batteries in these, but it is fussy work and the results are not always stable. I usually just hand out whatever I have on hand to kids who visit on Hallowe'en. ;)

I've long felt that there was a market for an inexpensive rechargeable version of these, and Nitecore doesn't disappoint with the Tube. Yes, it will cost you at least ~$10, but you are getting a well thought-out product. I like that you can jump to max or min from off, and ramp from on. That said, a slower ramp would have been nice (3.2secs is pretty fast from <1 lumen to ~45 lumens), as well as a defined pause once max is reached.

I don't know where Nitecore sourced the 5mm emitters for these, but I am frankly amazed at how bright they are (and how white). Yes, they are still very much at the cool end of the spectrum, but these beat any other 5mm emitters I've seen.

I suspect the main disappointment for some will be the lack of a bundled micro-USB charging cable. Personally, I would recommend Nitecore charge an extra buck or two per unit and include one (you can easily find them online for that price). Not a problem for those of us with Android phones, but not every iPhone user has micro-USB cables lying around their house.

In terms of variability, most of the stock Tubes I received were very close to each other in terms of performance (output, throw and runtime).

Vinh's current-boost modification only makes this light better. :) Max output is significantly improved. Output now rivals some of the classic 1xAAA lights (although the Tube/TubeVN will always be floody in comparison). Of course, Min output also went up on the TubeVN, but my sample was still well below ~2 lumens. And you can also rest assured that Vinh will spot and correct any obvious build issues (i.e., one of my stock Tubes was DOA for a circuit short).

I'm glad to see Nitecore has developed these – it's about time we had a rechargeable option in this class. I'm also glad to see that Vinh has given these one of his trademark circuit boosts. I hope they do well, and continued to be offered for sale some time. :wave:

----

TubeVN provided by Vinh Nguyen (V54) for review. Stock Tubes purchased from an authorized Nitecore dealer.
 
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5S8Zh5

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Excellent review, thanks. My clear TubeVN is edc'd with a p-7 clip, and stock pink went on my wife's keychain.
 

kj2

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Have a Tube too, and that thing is awesome! :D Never expected so much light coming from a 5mm led. Charging and UI is easy, and it's small enough to carry in your pocket or on to your keychain. Thanks for the review :)
 

Jayvivet

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I noticed you did beam shots for the black and clear tube. I could not really see any difference. Does the colour of the tube make much difference in real life to the beam. Do you have a preference of colour. I.e is the clear emitting light through the body a bit annoying after a while?
 

selfbuilt

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Never expected so much light coming from a 5mm led.
+1

I noticed you did beam shots for the black and clear tube. I could not really see any difference. Does the colour of the tube make much difference in real life to the beam. Do you have a preference of colour. I.e is the clear emitting light through the body a bit annoying after a while?
I did the beamshots to mainly to show the difference in how much light is transmitted through bodies (black vs clear) - and also to show that this doesn't appreciably affect the actual beam itself (as you noticed).

I did find the pink one to be a bit annoying, as it turns everything immediately around my hand holding the light a candy-pink color. The blue and black are the least distracting. But I don't mind the clear one - it's a just a different experience than the black one, not really better or worse.
 

jonwkng

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Thanks for another great review, selfbuilt! As usual, I really appreciate all the output & runtime analysis data. :twothumbs
Always great to see how much Vinh's modding work translates objectively to selfbuilt lumens.
As far as 5mm LED powered lights go, this is truly a USB-rechargeable Pocket rocket. :thumbsup:
 

Capolini

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Mr Floppy

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whoa, no PWM on max?

Looking at the die of the emitter, well the the size of it from side on, I no longer think it is Nichia 570GS-K1. That one could take 200mA but above 80mA it should be pulsed. I have a feeling the design is not for LED longevity but have no idea what the LED is.
 

selfbuilt

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Always great to see how much Vinh's modding work translates objectively to selfbuilt lumens.
That was actually harder than usual in this case, given the very floody beam pattern. But both my lightbox and ceiling bounce were pretty close, so I think the ~60% brighter (on average) makes sense for the mod.

whoa, no PWM on max?
That's right, it disappears when you jump to max. PWM is being used here in the same way it is on most lights (i.e., to simply reduce overall output from max). I'm actually more puzzled by why they use a lower frequency on the min level than the rest of the ramp. :thinking:

Don't know how they found an emitter that can handle this drive level, but it is a good performer.
 

Mr Floppy

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Tube053.jpg


Don't know how they found an emitter that can handle this drive level, but it is a good performer.

This image here, I know I have seen that LED before. See the extra large bit of the leg on the cathode? I've seen those on JELED 0.5W 5mm led's, for heat sinking I assume. The seller of these are on eBay and I've looked at them before but testing by a forum member here wasn't so good as the LED would fade at high current levels. That was years ago though and I've kept an eye out as JELED keeps coming out with brighter and brighter LED's culminating in 0.5W 5mm leds.

So I'm wondering if these are the ones that Nitecore chose? I've posted a link to the store in Vinh's thread rather than here.
 

selfbuilt

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This image here, I know I have seen that LED before. See the extra large bit of the leg on the cathode? I've seen those on JELED 0.5W 5mm led's, for heat sinking I assume. The seller of these are on eBay and I've looked at them before but testing by a forum member here wasn't so good as the LED would fade at high current levels. That was years ago though and I've kept an eye out as JELED keeps coming out with brighter and brighter LED's culminating in 0.5W 5mm leds.
Good catch, they do indeed look just like those JELED LEDs. Of course, they could still be a custom production run for Nitecore. Either way, they have certainly come a long way!
 

Skylumen

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You know what I admire about you selfbuilt? (Besides how smart you are of course ;-)) You are extremely professional! Doesn't matter if the light is $500 or $10. You give it the same level of attention to details. Speaks volume of your character to me!

:bow::bow::bow::bow:
 

selfbuilt

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You are extremely professional! Doesn't matter if the light is $500 or $10. You give it the same level of attention to details.
Thanks Vinh, I appreciate that. :)

Truthfully, when it comes to choosing lights among those available lights for review, I don't really care what the sticker price is. I'm most interested by what features it offers, and whether those are likely to be of interest to the community. It may sound odd to people, but given my limited time, I actually turn down a lot of offers of lights to review - and then go out and buy ones I'm curious about. :laughing:

I've kind of blown my budget (and my battery fund) with all the before Xmas sales on batteries and lights though, so I think I'll be sticking with manufacturer-supplied ones for the next little while. :broke: But I do have some interesting lights lined up on my desk in testing, so it should be fun.
 

ScottJD

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Jan 4, 2015
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101
I did a little video showing the difference of the Tube and TubeVN.
Also I have a inline USB Amp/Volt reader and got the same charge rate of 0.10A. But mine also show total power charging in mah and it came to 102mah after the charge. That is most likely the reason it only charges at 0.1A, thought I would share that.

Direct URL: http://youtu.be/pxszhy7ivVM

 
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selfbuilt

Flashaholic
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May 27, 2006
Messages
7,006
Location
Canada
Also I have a inline USB Amp/Volt reader and got the same charge rate of 0.10A. But mine also show total power charging in mah and it came to 102mah after the charge. That is most likely the reason it only charges at 0.1A, thought I would share that.
Thanks for sharing. That sort of amp capacity makes sense, especially if it uses something like a nominal 3.7V Li-ion cell. That would give you the effective work capacity of a little over a third of a 850mAh/1.2V NiMH AAA cell. Assuming the overall efficiency of the emitter here is not far off from the typical XP-E/XP-G found on most AAA lights, you would expect roughly one third the runtime for equivalent output - which is about what I find in my testing.
 

ScottJD

Newly Enlightened
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Jan 4, 2015
Messages
101
I know the battery is not marked but I was also thinking it may even be a Li-Po cell. It reminds me of the single Li-Po cells I have for a mini quad copter. But these in the picture are 300mAh capacity.
if they had made it just a little bigger with a 200mAh or 300MmAh like the ones in the pictures they could have tripled the run time, kept it still a little smaller than the cheap free ones, and could have raised the C rating on the charging for faster charge times. The one I have is a 15C (4.5A discharge) and 1A charge rate. I've seen other newer replacement cells that claim 45C discharge and 15C charging rate. Of course the battery may swell a little durring use so a little spare room in the case would be needed.

As I look at these pictures I sit and wonder if I can swap the tube electronics into the cheap case one with the 300mAh battery? The gold strip on the clear tape battery is just the contacts and a safety cuircut for not over charging or over discharging. That could be removed since I suspect the light is already regulating that part in the tube circuit it board.

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Thanks for sharing. That sort of amp capacity makes sense, especially if it uses something like a nominal 3.7V Li-ion cell. That would give you the effective work capacity of a little over a third of a 850mAh/1.2V NiMH AAA cell. Assuming the overall efficiency of the emitter here is not far off from the typical XP-E/XP-G found on most AAA lights, you would expect roughly one third the runtime for equivalent output - which is about what I find in my testing.
 

Mr Floppy

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 19, 2007
Messages
2,065
I know the battery is not marked but I was also thinking it may even be a Li-Po cell. It reminds me of the single Li-Po cells I have for a mini quad copter. But these in the picture are 300mAh capacity.

It is a LiPo and I think you meant to say 100mAh, and someone confirmed it was 100mAh marked somewhere,

edit: not sure which forum
 
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rickypanecatyl

Enlightened
Joined
Nov 2, 2009
Messages
913
While trying to understand the PWM issues via your oscilloscope screen shots it dawned on me one of the things I appreciate about your reviews. You obviously are smart and know your stuff like many folks around here but a rarer trait is your ability to communicate that info in layman's terms guys like me can understand.
Reminds me of scene from the Armageden movie where Nasa is briefing the President about the asteroid on a collision course with earth. The president asked how big this asteroid was and one of the NASA engineers replied, "271, 413.41 square miles."
Seeing the confused, gloss overed look on the President's face Billy Bob immediately follows up with, "It's about the size of the state of Texas sir." You Selfbuilt naturally give both answers!

Obviously what you did here with buying 5 lights is much more expensive. Since you did though I also really appreciate the comparison between them. I've found Nitecore to be "less robust" than many of the "not so robust" big brands seen here. When someone gets a lemon of light and posts about on this forum I often see guys try to dismiss that experience based on the fact they bought the same light and it worked fine for them. In your review here though its fairly obvious that if a guy only 1 tube and it was your green one that'd be bad; similarly if they bought only one and it was your clear one that'd be a good experience.
Agree with you wholeheartedly why that experience makes buying from a personal customized builder like Vinh so much more appealing!
 

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